Shaun Bartlett Is Excited For Kaizer Chiefs v Orlando Pirates
Shaun Bartlett is well aware of the pressures that come with the Soweto Derby, and the former Kaizer Chiefs player – now assistant coach – believes the current crop can come out on top. Read: Chiefs' January Signings - Tops Or Flops? The Glamour Boys have a tough record against Orlando Pirates of late, and will be hoping to end their bad run of form against the Buccaneers at FNB Stadium this coming weekend. Bartlett, who played against some of the best players of his generation, thinks that the game is one of the biggest on the planet, and hopes that the players don't put 'unnecessary pressure on themselves'. Speaking to the club's official website, the 46-year-old said, "It's going to by my first Soweto Derby as a coach, I hope to help make sure we can be on the winning side and get the three points. Our performances have been really good thus far. "I just have to make sure as a coach that I instil that confidence in the player's minds because the derby can be very stressful for players and they put unnecessary pressure on themselves. They're scared to make mistakes whereas in football you're always going to make mistakes. "The coaches' job will be done come Saturday and it will be up to the players to produce. The little impact we can have as coaches is making substitutions. The work is pretty much done by Friday and then it's up to the players to go out and display their talent and show why they're part of Kaizer Chiefs." Bartlett, of course, is no stranger to the momentous clash between Sowetan rivals, and it was the former Bafana Bafana international that scored the final goal at the old FNB Stadium before it was renovated for the 2010 World Cup - a header against Pirates in a 1-1 draw in 2006. He added, "The Soweto Derby is one of the biggest derbies in the world, the most memorable moment for me was getting the equalising goal at the old FNB Stadium. "Those derby memories such as assisting David Mathebula in Mmabatho in 2008 and that goal at the old FNB Stadium are things I will always treasure." The game will get underway at 15h30.
